“Hey, EJ, it’s only me. Just thought I’d give you a heads-up that your face is on a magazine cover. Call me.”
He hung up, then wondered if that sounded too bossy. Not that he cared right now. She was an adult, but he was her best friend. He was only looking after her, caring about her best interests. The same couldn’t be said about every man she knew.
The house was quiet, apart from the washing machine. Aidan and Ben were at the footy, and James was out with his soon-to-be in-laws.
James and Rachael’s wedding was drawing closer, and as ever, Jordan had asked EJ to be his date, just as she’d always asked him whenever a plus-one was required. Neither of them had ever really dated, so their pact to be each other’s dates had always worked well. Until now. Would she even still want to come with him now that she was dining with the rich and famous?
He was deep in weekend washing duties when she finally returned his call.
“You didn’t answer.”
“Oh, sorry. I was out.”
“At the gym?” He didn’t want to sound like a jealous boyfriend. He really didn’t. But he also couldn’t live with the panic of not knowing what was going on.
“Yes. Then I went out for a quick drink. A smoothie, actually, so don’t get too worried.”
“How worried should I be?” He was only half joking.
Her laughter sounded strained. “Not worried at all.”
He wanted to ask who she had gone with. Like, hereallywanted to know. But any gracious words felt stalled in his throat.“So, um, who did you go with?” He closed his eyes.Please don’t say Eric. Please don’t say—
“Actually, I happened to bump into Gwen.”
Oh, thank God.
“So I went with her.” A beat. “And Eric.”
He gritted his teeth. “Seriously?”
She laughed. “I know. What were the chances? I felt like it was a good chance to touch base and see where things were at with the proposal.”
“You did, did you?” As soon as the snarky words slipped out, he wanted to slap himself for his lack of subtlety.
“What’s that’s supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
“Not nothing. Spill.”
He bit back a sigh and did his best to explain. “It’s just that it seems a little convenient for him to keep popping up.”
“That’s what I wondered too, but I figured it doesn’t matter too much, seeing we are trying to get this across the line.”
But it did matter. Because if Eric had wrong motives, then this wouldn’t end well. Couldn’t end well.
“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?” Suspicion loaded each word.
Quick, he needed something else. “Look, I needed to check in regarding James’ wedding. Are you still okay for that?”
“Sure.”
“There’s a rehearsal dinner you’re invited to.”
“When’s that?”
“This Friday night.”
